Chapter 18
The example of David
| 1 Τί δὲ εἴπωμεν ἐπὶ τῷ μεμαρτυρημένῳ Δαυίδ; ἐφ' οὗ εἶπεν ὁ θεός· Εὗρον ἄνδρα κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου, Δαυὶδ τὸν τοῦ Ἰεσσαί, ἐν ἐλέει αἰωνίῳ ἔχρισα αὐτόν. |
What will we say about famous David?
God said of him, "I have found a man after My heart, David, the son of Jesse.
With eternal mercy I have anointed him" (Ps. 89:20). |
| 2 ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς λέγει πρὸς τὸν θεόν· Ἐλέησόν με, ὁ θεός, κατὰ τὸ μέγα ἔλεός σου, καὶ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν σου ἐξάλειψον τὸ ἀνόμημά μου. |
Yet he also said to God,
"Have mercy upon me, Oh God, according to Your great mercy. According to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my iniquity. |
| 3 ἐπὶ πλεῖον πλῦνόν με ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας μου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου καθάρισόν με· ὅτι τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγὼ γινώσκω, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία μου ἐνώπιόν μου ἐστὶν διαπαντός. | Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my transgression. For I acknowledge my transgression and my sin is always before me. |
| 4 σοί μόνῳ ἥμαρτον, καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιόν σου ἐποίησα, ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου, καὶ νικήσῃς ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε. | Against only You have I sinned and worked evil in Your sight so that You may be justified in Your words and may win when You are judged. |
| 5 ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐν ἀνομίαις συνελήμφθην, καὶ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐκίσσησέν με ἡ μήτηρ μου. | For behold I was conceived in transgressions, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. |
| 6 ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀλήθειαν ἠγάπησας· τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας σου ἐδήλωσάς μοι. |
You have loved truth. You have revealed the obscure and hidden things to me. |
| 7 ῥαντιεῖς με ὑσσώπῳ, καὶ καθαρισθήσομαι· πλυνεῖς με καὶ ὑπὲρ χιόνα λευκανθήσομαι. | You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean. You will wash me, and I will become whiter than snow. |
| 8 ἀκουτιεῖς με ἀγαλλίασιν καὶ εὐφροσύνην. ἀγαλλιάσονται ὀστᾶ τεταπεινωμένα. | You will make me hear joy and gladness. The bones which have been humbled will rejoice. |
| 9 ἀπόστρεψον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου, καὶ πάσας τὰς ἀνομίας μου ἐξάλειψον. | Turn Your face away from my sins, and blot out all my transgressions. |
| 10 καρδίαν καθαρὰν κτίσον ἐν ἐμοί, ὁ θεός, καὶ πνεῦμα εὐθὲς ἐγκαίνισον ἐν τοῖς ἐγκάτοις μου. | Create a clean heart within me, Oh God; and renew a right spirit in my inner parts. |
| 11 μὴ ἀπορίψῃς με ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιόν σου μὴ ἀντανέλῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. | Don't throw me away from Your presence, and don't take Your Holy Spirit from me. |
| 12 ἀπόδος μοι τὴν ἀγαλλίασιν τοῦ σωτηρίου σου, καὶ πνεύματι ἡγεμονικῷ στήρισόν με. | Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and strengthen me with Your guiding spirit. |
| 13 διδάξω ἀνόμους τὰς ὁδούς σου, καὶ ἀσεβεῖς ἐπιστρέψουσιν ἐπὶ σέ. | I will teach sinners Your ways, and godless men will return to You. |
| 14 ῥῦσαί με ἐξ αἱμάτων, ὁ θεός, ὁ θεὸς τῆς σωτηρίας μου. | Deliver me from blood-guilt, Oh God, the God of my salvation. |
| 15 ἀγαλλιάσεται ἡ γλῶσσά μου τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου. κύριε, τὸ στόμα μου ἀνοίξεις, καὶ τὰ χείλη μου ἀναγγελεῖ τὴν αἴνεσίν σου. | My tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, You will open my mouth and my lips will announce Your praise. |
| 16 ὅτι εἰ ἠθέλησας θυσίαν, ἔδωκα ἄν· ὁλοκαυτώματα οὐκ εὐδοκήσεις. | For if You had wanted sacrifice, I would have given it; but You have no pleasure in whole burnt offerings. |
| 17 θυσία τῷ θεῷ πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον· καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουθενώσει. |
A sacrifice for God is a broken spirit.
God won't despise a broken and humble heart" (Ps. 51:1-17). |